1. Technical Field
The present disclosure relates to an apparatus and method for surgical devices. More particularly, the present disclosure relates to a surgical instrument capable of eliminating or substantially limiting counter torque in a surgical fastening apparatus.
2. Background of Related Art
Surgical fastening devices wherein tissue is first grasped or clamped between opposing jaw structure and then joined by surgical fasteners are well known in the art. Several types of known surgical fastening instruments are specifically adapted for use in various procedures such as end-to-end anastomosis, gastrointestinal anastomosis, endoscopic gastrointestinal anastomosis, and transverse anastomosis among others. U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,915,616; 6,202,914; 5,865,361; and 5,964,394 are examples of surgical fastening instruments. Although the fasteners are typically in the form of surgical staples, two-part polymeric fasteners may also be employed.
Surgical fastening instruments can include two elongated jaw members used to capture or clamp tissue. One jaw member typically contains a staple cartridge that houses a plurality of staples arranged in a single row or a plurality of rows while the other jaw member has an anvil that defines a surface for forming the staple legs as the staples are driven from the staple cartridge. The stapling operation is usually effected by one or more cam members that translate through the staple cartridge, with the cam members acting upon staple pushers to sequentially or simultaneously eject the staples from the staple cartridge. A knife may be provided to move axially between the staple rows to cut or open the stapled tissue between the rows of staples. U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,079,606 and 3,490,675 disclose examples of this kind of instrument.
Some surgical fastening instruments contain rotating components that facilitate actuation of the surgical instrument, deployment of the surgical fasteners, or articulation of the surgical instrument. For instance, U.S. Pat. No. 7,114,642 to Whitman (“Whitman”) discloses a stapling mechanism including two rotating flexible drive shafts. One drive shaft controls the movement of an upper jaw while the other drive shaft controls the stapling and cutting actions of the mechanism. Essentially, the flexible drive shafts transmit torque from a motor in a handle to the distal end of the shaft. Each drive shaft is driven by a different motor and they are not operatively connected with each other. The torque transmitted by each drive shaft produces a counter torque that can turn or steer the jaws of the surgical mechanism to one direction. This undesirable motion of the jaws can prevent the surgeon from having full control of the surgical instrument. The stapling mechanism of Whitman does not have any mechanism, device, or component to eliminate the detrimental effects of the torque, i.e., the counter torque. Other surgical instruments having torque transmitting components also fail to provide adequate measures to limit or eliminate counter torque. Therefore, it is desirable to develop a surgical instrument capable of eliminating or substantially limiting counter torque.